


Tradition

by AifasInTheSky



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: (I can't think of anything else dlskjflksf), Fluff, M/M, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:00:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27863461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AifasInTheSky/pseuds/AifasInTheSky
Summary: Spy tries to incorporate Sniper into his tea drinking routine.
Relationships: Sniper/Spy (Team Fortress 2)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	Tradition

Spy watches Sniper eye the cup with undeserved distrust.

“Oh for the love of—Sniper, it’s just tea!” He would’ve thought they had left the suspicion behind ages ago.

Sniper startles. He looks sheepish. “Sorry, mate.” He looks at Spy’s eyes and maybe he sees his hurt, because he stammers: “I-it’s not that! It’s just… I’m not much of a tea drinker, y’know.”

Spy softens. “I know. However, tea brewing is a respectable ancient tradition and, on top of that, a very enjoyable one.”

Sniper scoffs. “Don’t care much for that English nonsense.”

Spy makes a face. “Let’s not talk about the English. However, in this aspect I must admit they’ve got taste. But they were not the first—tea brewing’s origins can be traced to East Asia, and it is a very common practice in China, where they have many kinds of tea you would never even consider—”

“Alright, alright,” Sniper cuts him short, waving his arm. Spy watches in alarm as his tea threatens to spill. “I didn’t mean no offense, mate.” He seems to remember the cup in his hand and looks at it. He takes a sip and winces. “It’s like… tasty water.”

“‘Tasty water’? Are you kidding me?” He leaves his own cup on the coffee table. “Would you care to tell me what coffee is, then?”

“It’s different, mate. It’s… tastier? Stronger.” He takes another sip, and seems to consider it. “Actually, I’m glad it isn’t sweetened to hell and back. I like my drinks bitter.”

Spy takes note of that. Maybe he can try another kind of tea next time. A variation of black tea? Maybe Darjeeling—no, Sniper isn’t very fond of wine and its flavour has a certain reminiscence of that. Hum… Ceylon tea could do the trick.

“Say, mon cheri, do you like citrus fruit?”

“Huh?” Sniper does a double take.

“Orange, more specifically. I know of a brew that might be of your liking. I already know you like chocolate, so—”

It’s easy to see the pleasant surprise in Sniper’s wide eyes. “Chocolate? Orange? I thought tea was just boiling leaves.”

Spy supresses the urge to do something drastic, like storming off or shaking Sniper by his shirt. As it is, he can feel his eye twitch. “It’s not just ‘boiling leaves,’” he grits between his teeth. “There is a whole process, a specific order to follow, a whole world of ingredients to use!”

Sniper nods, thinking, undeterred by Spy’s glare. “I’d want to try one of those. But…” He looks at him, head cocked. “Why are you so insistent on me drinking this instead of coffee?”

Spy considers. Will he tell him the truth? “Well, for starters, tea has significant less amounts of caffeine, which makes it healthier to drink and better for keeping you less jittery, and your hand steady.” He sees Sniper open his mouth to complain indignantly, so he blurts out, surprising even himself: “And I really would like to enjoy this routine with you.”

Sniper stays there, frozen, until he remembers to close his mouth. He smirks. “Well, I’m honoured, Spy.” Spy does not grumble, he does _not_. “No, but really,” he adds, a more sincere smile in his face. “I…” He coughs, cheeks red. “Really like… Spending time with you.”

Spy feels as foolish as a teenager, which will not do. “Ahem. Returning to our previous discussion: yes. There are tea blends stronger than others. And one can add ingredients to it. For example, Ceylon tea has intrinsically a citrusy flavour, with tones of chocolate and tobacco. Additionally, adding orange peels to the mix enhances this quality.”

“O-oh!” Sniper looks genuinely excited. “Are there many blends?”

Spy decides it is not time yet to talk about Pu-erh tea yet. “Yes, indeed. This one, for instance, is green tea—it is a soft blend, though, however pleasant it is. For beginner tea drinkers, black tea is probably the best option; I just decided against it because I had thought you’ve already tried it.”

“Er…” Sniper scratches his head. “My dad was a coffee kind of guy.”

“Go figures.” Spy sighs.

“Alright, mate, I’ll give it a try again—though I can’t promise you that I’ll drop coffee altogether. I need my morning cuppa.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Spy says, though he makes plans to at least buy his… friend? A better blend of coffee. Imported, of course.

“Same time as today, then?”

Spy nods. “It is the perfect time for tea.”

Sniper grins. “Alright, then.” He leaves his cup on the coffee table and rises off his seat. But before he leaves, he falters and comes back, timidly kissing Spy’s cheek. “Thank you,” he mutters, and finally exits the room, face absolutely red.

Spy isn’t any better.

“Well,” he says to his empty room. “I should get to work. I need to purchase that Ceylon as soon as possible.”

**Author's Note:**

> For Brut on Discord! \o/ I loved this prompt; thank you!! ♥ I'll probably write more sniperspy at some point bc the brainstorming process generated many ideas skdlajdj  
> \-----  
> Infodump:
> 
> -Ceylon tea: [[Link 1]](https://www.revolutiontea.com/blogs/news/the-passionate-tea-drinkers-guide-to-black-tea) [[Link 2]](https://www.thespruceeats.com/ceylon-tea-sri-lankan-tea-765685) It's, well, what Spy explained, but this is additional info.  
> -Pu-erh tea: [[Link]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu%27er_tea) It's basically fermented tea--there are Pu-erh teas of even 50 years or so, though they're super expensive.  
> \-----  
> Thank you very much for reading!! ♥


End file.
